The Second Time Around: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  She wasn’t wrong. When he’d first come to Hope House, the boy couldn’t read at his grade level, but with the help of the volunteers, his report card now sported all A’s and B’s.

  “He’s doing so well.” I let my gaze travel through the room before speaking again. “They’re great kids, aren’t they?”

  “That they are,” Diana quickly agreed. “I’ll admit I didn’t have the first clue what I was gettin’ into when I volunteered to work here. Never did anything like this before.” I turned back to her and discovered she was watching the kids with a smile on her face. “I spent my life as a housewife and mom. That was the only career I ever wanted. Then one day I woke up and realized it was over. The kids were grown and gone, and I was left with nothin’ to do. Lost my purpose. When Rory and Cord opened this place, I thought maybe this would help me find it again.” She shook her head and chuckled. “I didn’t know what I was gettin’ myself into, that’s for sure. But these kids . . . they make it easy. Even on the days they make it hard, you know?”

  “This job isn’t for the faint-hearted,” I told her, reaching out to place my hand on top of hers. “All I can say is I’m glad you gave this place a shot, because you’re great with these kids. You make a huge difference, Diana. All the volunteers here have.”

  She turned her hand palm up and wrapped her fingers around mine, giving it a squeeze. “This is a great team here. Made even better when you came on board.”

  A throat cleared from behind us, breaking through the moment and drawing our attention to Reggie, who’d come up behind us. “You have a visitor, Tessa.”

  The common room was a huge space, but when Bryce stepped inside it suddenly felt a million times smaller.

  My heart began to buck and spin at the sight of him, and when he looked in my direction and hit me with that devastatingly sexy grin, my belly quivered.

  “My oh my,” Diana mumbled under her breath. “That man just gets more good lookin’ every time I see him.”

  He moved across the room. He didn’t walk, he swaggered, and from the silence that suddenly fell over the space, I wasn’t the only one who noticed him.

  “Hey there, beauty,” he said, his low voice sending goosebumps across my skin. “Missed you.”

  I gulped, my throat suddenly feeling as dry as the Sahara before stuttering, “I-I missed you too. What . . . um, what are you doing here?”

  Before he could respond, one of my boys, Josiah, called out, “Yo, Ms. Tessa! Who’s the huge guy?”

  Diana shot from her chair, her voice raised enough for everyone in the room to hear. “This is Miss Tessa’s husband, Bryce Dixon.” Shit, shit, shit! “Kids, come say hi.”

  “Whoa, Ms. T! You’re married?” Jerome asked.

  “Omigod! Your husband’s totally hot!” Hailey shouted.

  Diana gave me a saucy grin when I cut her a scathing look. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she didn’t regret it one damn bit.

  I started in Bryce’s direction, and as soon as I was close enough, his arm shot out, wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me right against his side.

  I looked at the kids with trepidation. “Guys, like Diana said, this is Bryce. Bryce, these are my kids.” I went through and introduced each of them by name. He gave chin tilts and handshakes to all of them as I said their names. “And this is Charity.”

  Bryce’s attention shot to the pretty blonde girl hiding behind layers of heavy makeup, and his expression grew warm. “Nice to meet you, Charity. Tessa’s spoken very highly of you.”

  Her eyes, narrow and shrewd as she’d studied him like a specimen beneath a microscope moments before, went big with surprise. “She has?”

  “Yeah, darlin’.”

  That amazement vanished as fast as it had appeared, and she went back to looking at Bryce with scrutiny. “Well, she’s never talked about you. How come we’ve never seen you before?”

  “Charity,” I admonished.

  “What?” She gave me a shrug. “It’s true. We’ve never heard of this guy before.”

  “You’re being rude, and it’s totally uncalled for.”

  Her face pinched angrily, and I knew we were close to a blowup. “I wasn’t being rude. I was stating a fact. There’s a difference.”

  I was about to argue back when Bryce spoke up, his tone even and calm. “I’m guessin’ you’re old enough now to realize that guys are pretty stupid, yeah?”

  That question made Charity and me both pause, and her gaze returned to the big man still holding on to me. “Yeah, so?”

  “So I figure, since you know we’re stupid, you also know we mess up. A lot. I messed up. That’s why I haven’t been around. But I’m workin’ on makin’ up for being an idiot.”

  She cocked her head to the side, giving that some thought. “You do something illegal?”

  “No,” he answered quickly.

  She shot right back. “So you aren’t a criminal?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Sweetheart, I think that’s enough with twenty questions,” I said gently, trying to curtail a potential disaster.

  Her hands slammed down on her hips, her stance that of someone much older than thirteen. “You said you’d always have my back. Well, someone has to have yours too.”

  My lips parted with a shocked gasp. I had to look away as my heart swelled, causing an overwhelming urge to burst into tears, and when I locked eyes with Diana, I knew she was struggling just the same as me. God, these kids were amazing.

  Bryce knew how much her saying that meant to me, so instead of being offended, he informed her, “I’m glad she’s got you lookin’ out for her.”

  Some of the fire drained out of her, but I knew she wasn’t ready to relent completely when she said, “Yeah, well, I’m watching you, so don’t do anything else idiotic.”

  I had to lower my head to shield my smile behind the curtain of my hair as he replied, “You have my word.”

  “You a cop or somethin’?” Oscar suddenly chimed in. “You’re really big, and you look like a cop.”

  Bryce’s chuckle made his body shake against mine. “What’s a cop supposed to look like?”

  “I don’t know.” The little boy shrugged. “Like you, I guess.”

  “Not a cop. I was a Navy SEAL, and now I work at Alpha Omega.”

  “Whoa!” another boy, Caleb, exclaimed. “Those guys are totally badass!”

  I shot him a scowl and quickly reprimanded, “Language.”

  “It’s true,” Josiah added. “Everyone in town knows those guys are bada—” He caught himself, his expression going sheepish as he looked at me and finished with, “you know.”

  “That’s so cool,” another girl, Brooklyn, said. The fourteen-year-old had recently decided to go boy crazy, much to my detriment and the rest of the staff’s, and as she gazed up at Bryce dreamily, I knew it was probably time to bring this visit to a close.

  “So you didn’t answer my question. What brings you by? Not that . . .” I gulped, and added, “Not that I’m not happy to see you.”

  “I promised you I’d help get all the stuff you needed to make the kids costumes for the haunted house, didn’t I? The guys and I started work on the barn this mornin’. Figured I’d see if you wanted to go check it out, then we could drive into Richmond to run your errands.”

  Reggie stepped up, humor dancing in his eyes. Obviously, he’d enjoyed our little show as much as Diana had. “Go. We can take care of things here.”

  “You’re sure?” I asked, chewing on my bottom lip. I tried to spend as much time at the house as possible after the kids got back from school, wanting to be around in case anyone needed me. These kids lacked consistency, and I tried hard to be a constant for them. But the Halloween festival was coming fast and there was still so much to do.

  “Positive,” Diana answered for him. “Besides, if you don’t get crackin’ on those costumes, these kiddos won’t be scarin’ anybody.”

  “Go, Ms. T,” Jerome shouted. “You promised you�
��d make us all look like super scary zombies.”

  “All right, all right.” I gave in as I took Bryce’s hand and began guiding him out of the room. “I’m going. I’ll see you guys later.”

  The kids all shouted their good-byes after us. As he follow me down the hall toward the exit, I searched for that voice in my head telling me this was a bad idea, that I shouldn’t let my guard down and be so comfortable in Bryce’s presence.

  But for the first time since he came back into my life, that voice was completely silent.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tessa

  “I didn’t realize this was the kind of shit I was signin’ up for when I offered to help you out.” I looked back at a very disgruntled Bryce. I’d already dragged him to a craft store, a thrift shop, a party supply store, and now we were in the middle of a fabric store.

  “Christ. I think my balls drew back up in my gut about two stores ago.”

  My attempt to swallow my laughter resulted in a loud, indelicate snort. “Well, you should know you look very manly right now,” I teased, making him glower as he readjusted his grip on the several spools of fabric he was carrying around the store for me.

  “I think it’s only fair you owe me somethin’ for this.”

  I hooked one brow up. “Oh, you do, huh? And what exactly is it I owe you?”

  Those pale eyes began to twinkle. “Dinner.”

  “You want me to buy you dinner?” I asked incredulously.

  “No.” He dragged that one word out before continuing. “I want you to let me buy you dinner. On a date.”

  I froze, my lips parted on an exhale. That stupid voice in my head chose that moment to return, screaming, Danger, danger, Tessa Day! But my body and heart were squealing like giddy school girls. “You . . . want to take me on a date?”

  “I do.” He shifted the fabric he was carrying to the side and stepped closer, his heady scent invading my senses. “Tomorrow night. What do you say?”

  He’d done wonders to soften my defenses the past several days, but a part of me still didn’t trust it. My sense of self-preservation was strong as ever, and I struggled with indecision.

  “I don’t think—”

  “Don’t think, Tessa,” he said softly, taking my chin between his fingers and tipping my face up to his. “I told you I’d show you I’m a different man. Just give me a chance to do that.”

  It’s just one dinner, my body said. What could it possibly hurt?

  It could hurt a lot, my brain argued back.

  “Please,” he pleaded quietly, his eyes shining with emotion. “Please, baby. Just a chance. That’s all I’m askin’.”

  I didn’t have it in me to deny him when he looked at me that way. “Okay.”

  The way his face lit up made me melt, and when he smiled, it felt like I’d stepped into a pool of sunlight.

  He leaned in, bringing his face so close he was all I could see. “Thank you, Tessa.”

  I could have sworn he was about to kiss me, but after a second of staring into my eyes, he released my chin and took a step back. “You won’t regret it.”

  As we started back down the aisle, I tried telling myself it was a good thing he hadn’t kissed me.

  So why in the hell did I feel so disappointed?

  * * *

  After Bryce dropped me off at the inn, I’d tried to push the anxiety away by keeping busy.

  I’d decided to get a jumpstart on sewing costumes, working well into the night until my fingers began to fumble and my eyes started to blur. I let myself collapse into bed, but sleep wasn’t easily found. When I dozed, I dreamed of Bryce, and each time I woke up, I ached with need.

  Tonight marked our first date since Vegas and was one of my rare days off, so I had several hours to fill between now and then. Since I was too antsy to sit still at my sewing machine, I took a quick shower and walked to Muffin Top, hoping their coffee and pastries could help calm my frayed nerves.

  The morning was gray and overcast, which worked to increase my trepidation. Rain didn’t bother me, but thunderstorms sent me into full-blown panic, so as I made the trek from the inn to the coffee shop, I silently prayed that the weather would clear up.

  Muffin Top had a crush of people inside. Stopping at the end of the long line in front of the register, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sugar worked wonders, easing the tension in my neck. I wasn’t sure there was a better smell in all the world.

  Well, except one. The smell of citrus and outdoors was leaps and bounds better, but I quickly shut down that train of thought. I couldn’t go there, at least not right then. I was nervous enough about my date. Thinking about how damn good Bryce always smelled wasn’t going to help matters.

  “Tessa, hey!” My eyes popped open, and several feet in front of me at the counter Sage waved at me to join her.

  I eyed the line hesitantly, my feet remaining rooted in place.

  “Get your cute butt up here, girl,” she called when I didn’t move. “I want to introduce you to someone.”

  I hesitated for a beat before starting in her direction. I expected people to call me out or grumble about cutting, but I was surprised to see the few people actually looking at me were doing it with kind expressions.

  “I thought you were about to cause a riot,” I said once I reached her side. “Back in Houston, if I’d cut in front of a line that long, there would’ve been hell to pay.”

  “Benefits of small-town living, babe.” She turned to the line and waved, getting several waves in return. “We all know each other here, so people don’t usually mind as long as you aren’t an asshole about it.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Dani,” Sage called to the stunning woman behind the counter. She moved away from the register, quickly replaced by another girl to keep things flowing smoothly. “This is Tessa Day, Hope Valley’s newest resident. “Tessa, this is my BFF Danika, but we all call her Dani. She owns this place.”

  My mouth dropped open and my eyes bugged out. You would’ve thought, with the level of excitement I felt just then, I was meeting a celebrity. “So you’re the genius behind that cronut I had the other day?”

  Dani grinned happily. “That would be me. Glad to know you liked it.”

  “Liked it?” Leaning against the counter, I declared, “Like doesn’t even begin to cover it. I like finding designer handbags on sale for a song. I like Chris Evans and John Krasinski when they’re sporting beards. But I loved that cronut.”

  “Ooh, girl.” Sage fanned at her face. “I’m such a sucker for facial hair.”

  I nodded in agreement before turning back to Dani. “Would it be too forward if I asked you to marry me?”

  Sage busted out laughing as Dani let loose a low, husky chuckle that I had no doubt drove men crazy. She had a bedroom voice, slightly raspy and super seductive, like an old-timey lounge singer.

  “Just for that, your cronut today is on the house. But you still have to pay for the coffee. Speaking of which, what can I get you?”

  I quickly spouted off my coffee order, my mouth already watering in anticipation.

  “Soooo,” Sage drew out the moment Dani took off to make my coffee, waggling her eyebrows. “A little birdy told me you’ve got a big date tonight.”

  My eyes bugged out. “How did you—?”

  “Bryce was in an abnormally happy mood this morning, to the point the guys were giving him shit about it. I hounded him until he told me he was taking you to The Groves tonight.” She let out a low whistle. “That place is seriously swanky, babe. My tip, order the most expensive thing on the menu.” My hands came up to cover my face as I let out a groan. “Hey, hey.” She grabbed my arms and pulled them down, looking at me with concern. “What’s that about? You aren’t thinking of canceling, are you?”

  “No, it’s not that.” I puckered my lips and blew out a breath. “I didn’t realize the place he’s taking me is that fancy. I’m nervous enough as it is, now there’s . .
. added pressure.”

  The uneasiness marring her pretty face grew thicker, carving two deep grooves between her brows. “Are you regretting telling him yes?”

  “Yes. No.” I threw my arms out. “Hell . . . I don’t know what I feel. And I’m not sure I should be talking about this with you. I know you’re his friend, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re being put in the middle of anything.”

  Her features smoothed out in understanding. “Yes, Bryce is my friend. One of my best friends, actually. And I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I’d like to think you and I are becoming friends too.”

  “I’d like to think that also,” I admitted, feeling slightly better.

  “So who better to talk to about your relationship woes than a mutual friend?” she asked with a wink. “Hit me with it, Tessa. I promise, I’ll give you my unbiased opinion.”

  “I’m . . .” I licked my lips, pulling the bottom one between my teeth. “I’m scared,” I finally confessed. “He’s asked me to give him a chance to prove he’s changed, and I want to, I really do, but I’m just . . .”

  “Scared,” she repeated.

  “Yeah. He’s been so sweet and thoughtful and funny, and I find myself starting to think that maybe he really is different. But then I remember how it was in the beginning. He was sweet and thoughtful and funny then too. That’s why it was so easy for me to fall in love with him. Then he just took it away. And I can’t help but wonder if he’ll do it again.”

  She nodded her head, the picture of seriousness. “Totally understandable.”

  I was a little surprised by her response. I knew she promised an unbiased opinion, but I’d still expected her to lean toward his side. “Really?”

  “Of course. It makes total sense you’d be scared. He’s basically trained you to expect he’ll cut and run. But I’m curious. Has he actually explained why he left the last time?”

  I shook my head slowly. “At first, after moving here, I was trying really hard to avoid him. But now, I’m afraid to ask.”